Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
The opening day of Las Vegas Summer League was a good one for Raptors fans and rookies alike. Delon Wright and Norman Powell each had a strong showing as the team opened its 2015 Summer League campaign with a 22-point victory against the Sacramento Kings.
The Raptors led throughout and easily rolled to the win thanks to a stellar performance from the rookie backcourt. Wright, the 20th selection in the draft, scored nine points to go with nine assists, two steals and zero turnovers. The 11-day event in Vegas is eye-opening and exciting, but defence and assists can be hard to come by and Wright had plenty of both.
Powell, the 46th selection on draft night, led all scorers with a 20-point effort, shooting 8-for-15 from the floor. Both players added physical defence and gave an effort that left Summer League head coach Jesse Murmuys proud.
“I thought they did a really nice job for rookies,” Murmuys said. “They didn’t have really glaring rookie mistakes. They’re going to make mistakes, but for their first game in NBA Summer League, I think everybody in the organization should be really pleased.”
Murmuys credited the coaching Wright received at Utah under Larry Krystkowiak with helping him to be ready to run an NBA offence. While the game moves faster at the pro level, Wright didn’t need any time to adjust once he hit the Thomas and Mack floor.
“Because he had an NBA coach in college he had a familiarity with NBA sets,” Murmuys said. “It wasn’t like it was brand new to him. We did probably run some sets that he had never seen before, but he has great size, great length and that allows him to see over the defence and get the ball places where smaller guys can’t.”
Sophomore Bruno Caboclo looked like a different player than the shy 18-year-old who participated in last summer's tournament after being a draft night surprise with Toronto's 20th pick in 2014. A year older, noticeably stronger after a season of working out hard in the weight room, and able to understand and speak English much better, Caboclo was confident on both ends of the floor and showed marked improvement defensively.
“Obviously he looked a lot more comfortable out there,” Mermuys said. “I thought he looked a lot more confident out there. He wasn’t as nervous. That’s what this thing is all about and that’s why I love Summer League, especially for the younger coaches and the younger players. It’s great experience and it helps a great deal to be a part of it.”
The Brazilian forward finished with 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting, including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc to go with five rebounds and three assists. Caboclo attempted seven free throws, but hit on just two of his attempts from the line.
Lucas Nogeuira, going into his second season with the Raptors since coming to the team in a trade with Atlanta last June, added 10 points (4-for-5 shooting) and five rebounds. St. Joseph’s forward Ronald Roberts had a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double.
“That’s exactly how we want to play, to have that production and chemistry early on,” Powell said. “Bruno getting involved, I'm getting involved, Delon’s getting involved, guys on the bench getting involved and sharing the rock, that’s how we want to play. That team atmosphere, family atmosphere early on with this team you can see it on the court. Everybody’s happy, rooting for one another and that’s how you want to play. When you play like that everybody has fun, everybody gets to enjoy and show what they can do.”
Spending a week together to go through a mini-camp prior to the start of Summer League, Powell and Wright have already grown close. Wright assessed his own performance by giving himself a “B” and saying, “I wanted to hit more shots, more threes, but I don't think I had any turnovers so I’ll stay with B.” He gave his backcourt mate’s shooting performance an “A” and Powell returned the favor.
”“I would give [Wright] an, A too,” Powell “Going against him in college was one thing, but being able to play on the same team as him, seeing how active he was defensively, getting rebounds, getting steals, pressuring up, being a facilitator on the floor, really looking for his teammates, really controlling the offence, getting everybody where they need to be. He’s a great player. I’m excited to go along this journey with him.”